DOCSLIB.ORG

NPR 9.2: Interview: Ambassador Henrik Salander on the 2002 NPT

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
NPR 9.2: Interview: Ambassador Henrik Salander on the 2002 NPT HENRIK SALANDER Interview Ambassador Henrik Salander on the 2002 NPT Preparatory Committee CONDUCTED BY WILLIAM C. POTTER, MARY BETH NIKITIN, AND TARIQ RAUF1 BACKGROUND measures to further enhance the strengthened review pro- cess. Comprising more than 150 paragraphs and covering he first session of the Preparatory Committee all aspects of the NPT, as well as certain regional issues (PrepCom) for the 2005 Review Conference of the (including the Middle East and South Asia), and the Parties to the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of T strengthened NPT review process, the 2000 Final Docu- Nuclear Weapons (NPT) was held at United Nations head- ment represented the latest collective word of the 187 NPT quarters from April 8-19, 2002, under the chairmanship states regarding legally or politically binding guidelines for of the representative of the Western and Other States the future implementation of the NPT and the conduct of Group, Ambassador Henrik Salander (Permanent Repre- the strengthened NPT review process. Coming in the af- sentative of Sweden to the Conference on Disarmament termath of the body blows delivered to the NPT regime (CD)). Ambassador Salander headed the Swedish delega- by the South Asian nuclear tests of 1998, and the 1999 tion to the 2000 NPT Review Conference, in which Swe- decision of the U.S. Senate not to give its advice and con- den, as a member of the New Agenda Coalition,2 played sent to ratification of the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty a key role in achieving the adoption of a Final Document (CTBT), the 2000 Final Document was regarded as a re- by consensus. He thus brought considerable experience, newed commitment to and a vote of confidence for the credibility and negotiating skills to his chairmanship. continuing vitality of the world’s pre-eminent nuclear non- The 2002 PrepCom session was the first of at least three proliferation and disarmament norm. sessions leading up to the 2005 NPT Review Conference. Clarification of the purposes of the Preparatory Com- The 2002 PrepCom meeting provided the first opportu- mittee3 occupied much of the time of the PrepCom par- nity to implement and test the effectiveness of an agree- ticipants. The 2000 Review Conference had reaffirmed, ment made at the 2000 NPT Review Conference to clarified, and enhanced the mandate of the PrepCom as enhance the strengthened review process for the treaty, set out in the decision from the 1995 NPT Review and originally agreed at the 1995 Review and Extension Con- Extension Conference. The 2000 Review Conference ference. The Final Document of the 2000 Review Con- specified that the first two sessions of the PrepCom (start- ference inter alia included an unequivocal undertaking ing in 2002), as well as its following sessions, should con- to the total elimination of nuclear weapons as one of an sider: specific matters of substance relating to the agreed set of practical steps for further progress in nuclear implementation of the NPT and of the 1995 Review and disarmament and nuclear nonproliferation, along with Extension Conference decisions, as well as the Resolu- The Nonproliferation Review/Summer 2002 1 HENRIK SALANDER tion on the Middle East adopted there; the outcomes of bassador László Molnar (Permanent Representative of subsequent Review Conferences; and developments af- Hungary to the United Nations), representing the Group fecting the operation and purposes of the treaty.4 of East European States, was unanimously selected as the According to the 2000 Review Conference Final Docu- chairman of the 2003 PrepCom. The chairman of the third ment, the 2002 PrepCom deliberations were to be factu- session and the president of the 2005 Review Conference ally summarized and the results transmitted in a report to would be nominated by the Non-Aligned Movement the next PrepCom session for further discussion. The same (NAM) States. process is to be followed at the second PrepCom session. Following two days of general debate comprising open- At its third, or as appropriate fourth session, the PrepCom, ing statements, the PrepCom held a total of 11 meetings taking into account the deliberations and results of its pre- for substantive discussion.7 The substantive discussion vious sessions, is to make every effort to produce a con- was structured according to an indicative timetable, which sensus report containing recommendations to the 2005 provided equal time for the consideration of three clus- Review Conference. ters of issues and three specific blocks of issues. Furthermore, the 2000 Final Document5 required con- The pattern for the following three clusters of issues sideration of reports by all States Parties on the imple- was developed at previous review conferences, where the mentation of Article VI (nuclear disarmament) and related substantive issues are divided into three main committees measures contained in the “Principles and Objectives” addressing:8 (a) Implementation of the provisions of the adopted at the 1995 Review and Extension Conference. treaty relating to nonproliferation of nuclear weapons, dis- These regular reports within the framework of the armament, and international peace and security; (b) imple- strengthened NPT review process logically would be con- mentation of the provisions of the treaty relating to sidered by the PrepCom and by the 2005 Review Con- nonproliferation of nuclear weapons, safeguards, and ference. The 2000 Final Document6 also called upon the nuclear-weapon-free zones; and (c) implementation of the PrepCom and the 2005 Review Conference to consider provisions of the treaty relating to the inalienable right of reports on the steps undertaken by States Parties to pro- all parties to the treaty to develop research, production mote the achievement of a Middle East zone free of and use of nuclear energy for peaceful purposes, without nuclear weapons as well as of other weapons of mass discrimination and in conformity with Articles I and II. At destruction and the realization of the 1995 Middle East the PrepCom, these issues were discussed by the plenary, Resolution. These reporting requirements, rather unex- as were three more specific blocks of issues: (a) imple- pectedly, became a major matter of contention at the 2002 mentation of nuclear disarmament;9 (b) regional issues, PrepCom, at one stage even threatening to scuttle the in particular with respect to the Middle East and imple- entire meeting. mentation of the 1995 Resolution on the Middle East;10 and (c) safety and security of peaceful nuclear programs. Outcome of the 2002 PrepCom The indicative timetable originally proposed by the chair- The first session of the PrepCom for the 2005 NPT man set aside a block of time for the consideration of dis- Review Conference was attended by 140 of the current armament and regional issues that included discussion of 187 States Parties. Cuba, a non-State Party, seven inter- the reports that were mandated in the 2000 NPT Final governmental organizations, and 62 non-governmental Document. Both the United States and France strongly organizations (NGOs) attended the open meetings of the objected to the allocation of a specific bloc of time for PrepCom. Ms. Hannelore Hoppe (Chief, Weapons of discussing reports11 and refused to accept any reference Mass Destruction Branch, Department for Disarmament to “reports” in the indicative timetable, claiming that the Affairs, United Nations) served as Secretary of the 2000 Final Document did not explicitly state that the PrepCom. Among the procedural decisions taken, it was PrepCom should consider reports. Underlying this con- decided that the second session of the PrepCom would cern was the desire to avoid a rancorous debate over U.S. be held in Geneva from April 28 to May 9, 2003; the third actions since 1998, including U.S. Senate rejection of the session would be held in New York from April 26 to May CTBT and the Bush administration’s declared opposition 7, 2004; and the provisional dates for the Review Con- to that treaty, as well as the U.S. withdrawal from the ference in New York would be May 2 to 27, 2005. Am- Anti-Ballistic Missile (ABM) Treaty. This deadlock on the 2 The Nonproliferation Review/Summer 2002 HENRIK SALANDER issue of reports continued throughout the first week of nonproliferation, nuclear disarmament, safeguards, export the PrepCom and was only resolved when the chairman controls, nuclear-weapon-free zones, regional issues agreed to delete any specific reference to reports on the (DPRK, Iraq, South Asia and the Middle East), strength- understanding that States Parties were free to present their ened physical protection of nuclear material, and report- reports. In connection with the indicative timetable, the ing. chairman made the following statement: “Nothing in the Following the presentation of the factual report, sev- indicative timetable of which we have just taken note al- eral States Parties voiced their concern that the report did ters the status of the Final Document of the 2000 NPT 12 not accurately or comprehensively capture either their re- Review Conference.” spective positions or the range of views expressed during Given the terrorist attacks in the United States in Sep- the PrepCom. However, no State Party objected to the tember 2001, States Parties were reluctant to criticize factual summary being annexed to the PrepCom report. strongly the United States, and by extension the other How the second session of PrepCom will deal with the nuclear weapon states, for their failure to implement ele- 2002 factual summary remains an open question. ments of the “13-practical steps” toward nuclear disar- 13 The following interview was completed at a workshop mament agreed at the 2000 Review Conference. Several on assessing the 2002 PrepCom session organized by the States Parties addressed the issue of reporting and pre- Monterey Institute Center for Nonproliferation Studies, sented their reports on nuclear disarmament and on the in Annecy, France, on July 14-15, 2002.
Load more

Recommended publications
  • Status of the Implementation of the NPT 13 Steps and Nuclear Disarmament
    Status of the Implementation of the NPT 13 Steps and Nuclear Disarmament By Senator Douglas Roche, O.C. Chairman, Middle Powers Initiative Sponsored by United Nations Centre for Peace, Disarmament and Development in Latin America and the Caribbean, Department for Disarmament Affairs United Nations, New York, March 14, 2002 Hon. Senator Douglas Roche, O.C., Room 202-Victoria Bldg., Ottawa, Ontario, K1A 0A4 Tel (613) 943-9559 Fax (613) 943-9561 WebSite: http://send.parl.gc.ca/droche At the 2000 Review of the Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT), the states parties agreed to take 13 practical steps to manifest their systematic and progressive efforts to implement Article VI of the NPT. The first PrepComm, in 2002, for the 2005 Review provides an opportunity to assess the amount of progress. I propose here to refer to each of the steps* and then to offer a comment on the status of implementation1. Step 1. Entry-into-force of the CTBT To date, 161 states have signed and 87 have ratified the CTBT. Of the 44 nuclear-capable countries required to ratify it, 13 states have not yet done so. Most of these have signed and are in the various stages of the legislative process for ratification. India, Pakistan and North Korea have not signed. Israel has signed, but has said that ratification will depend on, inter alia, Israel’s sovereign equality status and developments in the region. The United States presents a serious problem because it is the only one of *The precise wording of the steps, as contained in the NPT 2000 Review Final Document, appears in Appendix A or at website: http://www.iaea.or.at/worldatom/Press/Events/Npt/npt-2000.shtml 1 I am indebted to Tariq Rauf, formerly of the Monterey Institute of International Studies, for his analysis of the 13 steps contained in “Towards NPT 2005: An Action Plan for the 13 Steps,” prepared for a Strategy Consultation held by the Middle Powers Initiative (MPI) April 29-May 1, 2001.
    [Show full text]
  • Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists
    DOI: 10.2968/066004001 Bulletin Assessing the 2010 NPT Review of the Conference Atomic a necessary political success, this year’s Scientists conference has far-reaching implications. By ReBecca jOhnsOn hen the president of the 2010 Nuclear Non- Proliferation Treaty (NPT) Review Conference, Li- bran Cabactulan, tapped his gavel at 3:40 p.m. on W May 28, there was a moment of stunned silence be- fore applause erupted in the hall of the U.N. General Assembly. After four weeks of discussions, the conference, which is held every five years, ended with the adoption of a substantive final document that is expected to frame nonproliferation and disarmament objec- tives for some years to come. This consensus outcome reflects agreement on 64 recommend- ed actions covering nuclear disarmament, nonproliferation, nucle- ar energy for nonmilitary purposes, and a conference to facilitate progress on eliminating nuclear, chemical and biological weapons from the Middle East. In addition, there was a review section cov- ering the major issues and concerns discussed during the review conference, including criticisms of the nuclear powers and North Korea. This section also contained majority views and ideas that did not make it into the consensus action plans, for example on strengthening compliance and implementation and for responding more effectively if countries try to withdraw from the NPT to de- velop nuclear weapons, as North Korea did in 2003.1 Though time ran out before this part could be fully negotiated and agreed, it con- stitutes an important overview of the major issues, problems, and perspectives facing the NPT. That any substantive agreements were adopted at all is no small victory.
    [Show full text]
  • Preparatory Committee for the 2005 Review Conference of the Parties To
    NPT/CONF.2005/PC.I/SR.1 Preparatory Committee for the 2005 Review Distr.: General Conference of the Parties to the Treaty on the 4 June 2002 Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons Original: English Summary record of the 1st meeting Held at Headquarters, New York, on Monday, 8 April 2002, at 10 a.m. Temporary Chairman: Mr. Dhanapala (Under-Secretary-General for Disarmament Affairs) Chairman: Mr. Salander. .(Sweden) Contents Opening of the session Election of the Chairman Adoption of the agenda Organization of work of the Preparatory Committee: (a) Election of officers (b) Dates and venues for further sessions (c) Methods of work: (i) Decision-making (ii) Participation (iii) Working languages (iv) Records and documents General debate on issues related to all aspects of the work of the Preparatory Committee This record is subject to correction. Corrections should be submitted in one of the working languages. They should be set forth in a memorandum and also incorporated in a copy of the record. They should be sent within one week of the date of this document to the Chief, Official Records Editing Section, room DC2-750, 2 United Nations Plaza. Any corrections to the record of this meeting and of other meetings will be issued in a corrigendum. 02-32169 (E) * 0 2 3 2 1 6 9 * NPT/CONF.2005/PC.I/SR.1 The meeting was called to order at 10.15 a.m. events since that Conference had cast a shadow on the prospects for progress. Despite the strong reaffirmation at the 2001 Conference on Facilitating the Entry into Opening of the session Force of the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty 1.
    [Show full text]
  • 2015 Review Conference of the Parties to the Treaty on the Non
    NPT/CONF.2015/SR.5 2015 Review Conference of the Parties Distr.: General to the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation 26 May 2015 of Nuclear Weapons Original: English Summary record of the 5th meeting Held at Headquarters, New York, on Wednesday, 29 April 2015, at 10 a.m. President: Mr. Labbé (Vice-President) ......................................... (Chile) later: Mr. Biontino (Vice-President) .................................... (Germany) Contents General debate (continued) This record is subject to correction. Corrections should be submitted in one of the working languages. They should be set forth in a memorandum and also incorporated in a copy of the record. They should be sent as soon as possible to the Chief of the Documents Control Unit ([email protected]). Corrected records will be reissued electronically on the Official Document System of the United Nations (http://documents.un.org/). 15-06744 (E) *1506744* NPT/CONF.2015/SR.5 The meeting was called to order at 10.05 a.m. urged universalization of the Treaty, the conclusion of a fissile material cut-off treaty, and the establishment General debate (continued) of a zone free of nuclear weapons and other weapons of mass destruction in the Middle East. It had 1. Mr. Klimkin (Ukraine) said that his country had supported both General Assembly resolution 67/56, voluntarily renounced nuclear weapons and had which had established the open-ended working group eliminated its nuclear arsenal inherited from the former to develop proposals to take forward multilateral Soviet Union. However, the Ukrainian success story nuclear disarmament negotiations, and the conferences had been ruined by the recent Russian aggression, on the humanitarian impact of nuclear weapons held in which blatantly violated the 1994 Memorandum on Oslo, Nayarit, Mexico, and Vienna.
    [Show full text]
  • Transparency and Accountability: NPT Reporting
    TRANSPARENCY and ACCOUNTABILITY NPT REPORTING 2002-2012 TRANSPARENCY AND ACCOUNTABILITY NPT Reporting 2002-2012 About this Publication As agreed in 2000, States Parties to the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty are called to submit regular reports on their efforts to implement Article VI of the NPT—nuclear disarmament and the eventual elimination of nuclear weapons. This paper tabulates and summarizes reporting at the nine NPT review process meetings since then: the three Preparatory Committee sessions leading up to the 2005 Review Conference (2002-4), the 2005 Review Conference itself, the four Preparatory Committee sessions for the 2010 Review Conference, the 2010 Review Conference itself, and the first Preparatory Committee session for the 2015 Review Conference, held in 2012. The paper briefly reviews the background to the reporting obligation and offers recommendations for enhanced reporting that would more effectively reflect the “permanence with accountability” framework that is at its core. The paper was prepared by Project Ploughshares Program Officer Cesar Jaramillo. Previous editions were prepared by Cesar Jaramillo, Ernie Regehr, and Jessica West, with assistance from interns Adam Parsons, Laura Ashfield, and Melanie Ferrier. Acknowledgements We acknowledge with gratitude the financial support of The Simons Foundation of Vancouver. Project Ploughshares Project Ploughshares is the peace centre of The Canadian Council of Churches. Project Ploughshares works with churches, nongovernmental organizations, and governments, in Canada
    [Show full text]
  • A New Look at the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty (CTBT)
    A New Look at the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty (CTBT) International Group on Global Security (IGGS) Anthony Aust Masahiko Asada Edward Ifft Nicholas Kyriakopoulos Jenifer Mackby Bernard Massinon Arend Meerburg Bernard Sitt September 2008 Netherlands Institute of International Relations Clingendael CIP-Data Koninklijke bibliotheek, Den Haag Anthony Aust Masahiko Asada Edward Ifft Nicholas Kyriakopoulos Jenifer Mackby Bernard Massinon Arend Meerburg Bernard Sitt A New Look at the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty (CTBT) / The Hague, Netherlands Institute of International Relations Clingendael. ISBN: 978-90-5031-130-4 This publication was supported by the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Desk top publishing by: Karin van Egmond Nederlands Instituut voor Internationale Betrekkingen Clingendael Clingendael 7 2597 VH Den Haag Phone: +31 (0)70 – 3245384 Fax: +31 (0)70 – 3746667 P.O.Box 93080 2509 AB Den Haag E-mail: [email protected] Website: http://www.clingendael.nl © Netherlands Institute of International Relations Clingendael. All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without the prior written permission of the copyright holders. Clingendael Institute, P.O. Box 93080, 2509 AB The Hague, The Netherlands Contents Abbreviations and Technical Terms ............................................................. i Foreword..................................................................................................
    [Show full text]
  • Preparatory Committee for the 2020 Review Conference of the Parties to the Treaty on the 11 April 2018
    NPT/CONF.2020/PC.II/WP.26 Preparatory Committee for the 2020 Review Conference of the Parties to the Treaty on the 11 April 2018 Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons Original: English Second session Geneva, 23 April–4 May 2018 Proposals by the Non-Proliferation and Disarmament Initiative to enhance transparency for strengthening the review process for the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons Working paper submitted by the members of the Non-Proliferation and Disarmament Initiative (Australia, Canada, Chile, Germany, Japan, Mexico, Netherlands, Nigeria, Philippines, Poland, Turkey and United Arab Emirates) Significance of transparency 1. The principle of transparency, like those of irreversibility and verifiability, is indispensable in the process of nuclear disarmament. Indeed, the principle of transparency underpins the other two principles. Without clarity on existing arsenals, negotiations and verification of nuclear weapon reductions become very problematic. It would also complicate the task of providing confidence to States that nuclear disarmament measures have been accomplished in an irreversible manner. 2. Increased transparency builds confidence and trust at regional and international levels. It helps to establish a common ground for dialogue and negotiation. Therefore, increased transparency allows further reductions in nuclear weapons towards their total elimination. 3. The principle of transparency, together with the principles of irreversibility and verifiability, strengthens the implementation of the Treaty on the Non -Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons, as established by the States parties to the Treaty in 2000 and 2010.1 States parties to the Treaty agreed in 2000 that increased transparency by the nuclear-weapon States is a part of the 13 steps on disarmament agreed in the same year.
    [Show full text]
  • Preparatory Committee for the 2005 Review Conference of the Parties to the Treaty on the 2 May 2003 Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons ORIGINAL: English
    NPT/CONF.2005/PC.II/29 Preparatory Committee for the 2005 Review Conference of the Parties to the Treaty on the 2 May 2003 Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons ORIGINAL: English Second Session Geneva, 28 April–9 May 2003 Implementation of Article VI and paragraph 4(c) of the 1995 Decision on “Principles and Objectives for Nuclear Non-Proliferation and Disarmament” Report submitted by Sweden Introduction 1. As stated in the Final Document of the 2000 Review Conference of the Parties to the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons, in the section entitled "Article VI and eighth to twelfth preambular paragraphs", in paragraph 15, subparagraph 12, the Conference agreed on: "Regular reports, within the framework of the strengthened review process for the Non-Proliferation Treaty, by all States parties on the implementation of Article VI and paragraph 4(c) of the 1995 Decision on "Principles and Objectives for Nuclear Non- Proliferation and Disarmament". 2. Sweden would hereby like to submit her report to the second session of the Preparatory Committee for the 2005 Review Conference of the Parties to the Treaty on the Non- Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons. 3. Since the first session of the Preparatory Committee in 2002, Sweden has actively participated in the work on nuclear disarmament and non-proliferation. This has been done, for example, through the European Union, together with the other states in the New Agenda Coalition, and through the Five Ambassadors' initiative in the Conference on Disarmament. 4. The Swedish Minister for Foreign Affairs, Ms Anna Lindh, declared in the Statement of Government Policy in the parliamentary debate on foreign policy on 12 February 2003, that the long-term objective of the Swedish Government was a world free from nuclear weapons, biological weapons and chemical weapons.
    [Show full text]
  • First Session of the Preparatory Committee for the 2010 Review Conference of the Parties to the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons
    First Session of the Preparatory Committee for the 2010 Review Conference of the Parties to the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons CLUSTER 1 - NUCLEAR DISARMAMENT Statement by Brazil Mr. Chairman, Long before its accession to the NPT, Brazil had decided that its national security, as well as international peace and security, should not be predicated on the acquisition of nuclear armament. In the sixties, Brazil was at the inception of the idea that would later come to life in the Tlatelolco Treaty, one year before the NPT, to make the Latin American and the Caribbean Region a Nuclear Weapons Free Zone. The new Constitution adopted in 1988 states that all nuclear activities shall only be admitted for peaceful purposes. In the early nineties, Brazil entered into a Quadripartite agreement with Argentina, the Brazil-Argentine Agency for Accounting and Control of Nuclear Material (ABACC) and the IAEA and placed all its nuclear facilities under comprehensive safeguards. Brazil decided to adhere to the NPT to act more effectively in favor of nuclear disarmament, and to join other Parties in their efforts to correct the Treaty's imbalances. Over the past few years, the international community has noticed a striking - and worrisome - development as regards disarmament and non-proliferation affairs. While a renewed emphasis has been put on non-proliferation, less and less attention is paid to nuclear disarmament. And the achievements made in nuclear disarmament are not the result of multilaterally negotiated, irreversible and verifiable agreements, and thus can easily be rolled back. Verification exclusively by the involved parties themselves is not enough to establish international confidence.
    [Show full text]
  • 2020 Review Conference of the Parties to the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation 12 March 2020 of Nuclear Weapons Original: English
    NPT/CONF.2020/WP.6 2020 Review Conference of the Parties to the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation 12 March 2020 of Nuclear Weapons Original: English New York, 27 April–22 May 2020 Stepping stones for advancing nuclear disarmament Joint working paper submitted by Argentina, Canada, Finland, Germany, Indonesia, Japan, Jordan, Kazakhstan, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, the Republic of Korea, Spain, Sweden and Switzerland Ministers adopted a Ministerial Declaration 1 at their meeting in Berlin on 25 February 2020 and identified in the annex to that Declaration a non-exhaustive list of short-term, achievable and meaningful actions – stepping stones – for advancing nuclear disarmament (see annex). __________________ 1 Available from www.auswaertiges-amt.de/en/newsroom/news/npt-50/2310112. 20-03907 (E) 210520 *2003907* NPT/CONF.2020/WP.6 Annex Stepping stones for advancing nuclear disarmament We reaffirm the mutually reinforcing character of the three pillars of the NPT and underline that previously agreed measures and commitments, including the 2000 NPT Review Conference’s “13 Steps” and the 2010 NPT Review Conference’s “64 Point Action Plan”, remain valid and form the basis for making further progress in fully implementing the treaty and achieving a world free of nuclear weapons. The stepping stones offer concrete opportunities to reduce international tensions, improve global security, serve as confidence-building measures and pave the way for further progress in the years to come, with the aim of achieving our shared goal of a world free of nuclear weapons. These areas include, inter alia, diminishing the role of nuclear weapons in security policies and doctrines, minimizing the risk of conflict and accidental nuclear weapon use, strengthening cooperation and building trust, enhancing transparency on arsenals and doctrines and strengthening the nuclear arms control architecture.
    [Show full text]
  • 13. Nuclear Arms Control and Non-Proliferation
    13. Nuclear arms control and non-proliferation SHANNON N. KILE I. Introduction In 2005 the global nuclear non-proliferation regime continued to face a num- ber of serious challenges from both inside and outside the regime. The effec- tiveness and viability of its principal legal and normative foundation, the 1968 Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (Non-Proliferation Treaty, NPT), were called into question by the deadlock among the states par- ties that arose at the seventh five-yearly NPT Review Conference.1 The conference failed to produce a final report containing any substantive deci- sions on treaty implementation issues. During 2005 there continued to be international concern about the scope and nature of Iran’s nuclear fuel cycle programme. The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) provided further detail about Iran’s failures to declare important nuclear activities, in contravention of its NPT-mandated nuclear safeguards agreement with the Agency. In East Asia, little progress was made in the multilateral negotiations on the fate of the nuclear programme of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK, or North Korea), which in February 2005 declared for the first time that it possessed nuclear weapons. In addition to these controversies, further details emerged about the activities of the clandestine network of scientists and private companies centred around Pakistani scientist Abdul Qadeer Khan and involving the illicit transfer of nuclear weapon-related materials and equipment. This led to growing international support for voluntary and ad hoc measures, outside the framework of the NPT regime, aimed at addressing proliferation risks and challenges posed by non-state actors.
    [Show full text]
  • Conference on Disarmament
    CONFERENCE ON DISARMAMENT CD/PV.986 23 June 2005 ENGLISH FINAL RECORD OF THE NINE HUNDRED AND EIGHTY-SIXTH PLENARY MEETING Held at the Palais des Nations, Geneva, on Thursday, 23 June 2005, at 10.15 a.m. President: Mr. Wegger STRØMMEN (Norway) GE.05-62051 (E) 140705 200705 CD/PV.986 2 The PRESIDENT: I declare open the 986th plenary meeting of the Conference on Disarmament. Before proceeding to our debate, I should like to bid farewell to our distinguished colleague, Ambassador Chris Sanders of the Netherlands, who will soon leave Geneva to assume new important responsibilities. You will agree with me that Ambassador Sanders has been and is an exemplary figure in the field of disarmament. Throughout his tenure as Ambassador of the Netherlands to the Conference on Disarmament since August 1999, he has not only demonstrated remarkable diplomatic skills and professional knowledge in many disarmament bodies, but he has also succeeded in forging his ideas into concrete action, in part due to his energetic and firm personality. We sincerely appreciate his strong commitment and determination to overcome the impasse in the CD. During his presidency of the Conference at the beginning of this session, Ambassador Sanders explored new avenues of revitalizing the Conference in his “food for thought” paper. For years Ambassador Sanders also played an active role as coordinator on explosive remnants of war. He eventually spearheaded negotiations on an internationally legally binding instrument in this field, which in 2003 culminated in the adoption of Protocol V on Explosive Remnants of War to the Certain Conventional Weapons Convention.
    [Show full text]